


Aftermath

by Han502653



Series: What happened in the Timeskip, stays in the Timeskip [1]
Category: Girl Genius
Genre: F/M, Higgs is a bit overprotective, Pre-Relationship, Set during the timeskip, The boyz are helpful, lots of headcanons, more or less anyway
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-15
Updated: 2016-01-15
Packaged: 2018-05-14 01:17:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5724076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Han502653/pseuds/Han502653
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the bubble goes up some people are stranded outside.</p><p>First in a series of stories centered during the timeskip. There may be some Jaeger shenanigans, some jail breaking Clay's, some Wulfenbach angst, and as for Zeetha and Higgs...</p><p>Well, as much as they advocate about not complicating relationships unnecessarily, relationships tend to be complicated all on their own.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Aftermath

The wall went up, and, for a while, Zeetha went quite. This was the exact opposite any one of them had expected of her.

By some miracle of chance Zeetha and Higgs ran into the Boyz just long enough before nightfall to set up a low fire. With the trio came news, the wall completely surrounded the city, even far into the tunnels. When it went up Jägers and others had been caught in the crossfire, several lost their lives, being split in half, others were lucky and just lost a limb. A few had tried to touch it afterwards and lost skin and even parts of their fingers. And, what was the real crushing blow, from the few high vantage points they had managed to find, it looked like everyone inside was frozen solid.

Which meant Agatha, Their Lady, Their Heterodyne, Her Zumil.

It also meant that Mamma and the other Jäger Generals were all trapped too, as well as many of the higher ranked officers that hovered around them.

Which, of course, meant chaos amongst the remaining ranks. Dimo himself had managed to ease some of that chaos, by sending the remaining Jägers to gather in the tunnels that dotted the mountains around the town. He had set up a place for the injured to go, and others to tend to them. As well as ordered squad leaders to make lists of who in their squad had made it out. Or so Maxim and Oggie said. Dimo himself looked exhausted from his trip to sudden responsibility, and as if he would be happy to give it away.

For now, with some of the chaos back at the mountain contained, they had left to help with the patrols set to find stragglers and refugees. But even here they weren’t completely alone, as Jägers kept popping in to make repots to the increasingly overwhelmed Dimo.

Night was falling fast, and since the Wulfenbach forces had retreated awhile away for reasons unclear, a fire had been declared a good idea. It would attract people they would otherwise be unable to see, and even if people unwelcomed showed, well… they were not some helpless civilians who couldn’t deal with it.

But for a fire, wood was needed, and Dimo and Higgs had made eye contact, and stood to leave from where the makeshift fireplace had been constructed. Zeetha attempted to stand as well, missing Dimo’s and Higgs’ quick glance, only to be stopped from Higgs’ gaze. His eyes glanced at the bandage on her chest, half hidden by his jacket that she had accepted in the shock of everything, and then he gave her a knowing look that made her twitch.

She scowled slightly but sat back down, to numb to bother with arguing. He hadn’t been concerned about her wound back in that clank, so it was pretty rich that he was now. Pulling on a tuff of grass she ignored Maxim and Oggie as they tried to break the heavy silence.

Sure her wound hurt, stung if she moved it wrong, but she had been stabbed, what, a day and a half ago? Maybe two days ago? Of course it hurt. That said, it felt nothing like a detrimental injury. And she knew what detrimental injuries felt like, just as she knew how injuries well on the mend felt. Whatever Mamma had given her had done a good job, she would admit freely, but she was getting real tired of people treating her like she was glass, tired of people treating her like she unable to gauge her own health.

She had learned long ago when it was okay to push injuries and when it wasn’t, and what was left on this wound on her chest was nothing more than an annoyance.

From her vantage point she could just see the top of the strange dome that imprisoned her Zumil as it glowed faintly even as the sun disappeared. She continued to stare at it for the entirety of the strangely long time Higgs and Dimo were gone. Pulling at the grass absentmindedly as her mind both wandered and stayed silent.

She only snapped out of it as Higgs and Dimo returned. Even in the last of the sun’s rays she could tell they were stiff and tense, something she had never seen from either of them before, acting as if some kind of argument had burst out between them. She narrowed her eyes but kept quiet.

Before too long a small fire was raised and everyone settled down around it. Oggie disappeared towards the small creek nearby, and after some loud splashes and curses, came back completely drenched, with several fish, which were quickly speared through and put over the fire to roast.

The topic switched to the Wulfenbach army and Zeetha allowed her thoughts to drift again. Higgs knew no more than she did about why the sudden retreat was called, and just what the Baron may have done to Mechanicsburg, they had jumped ship before any of those questions could be answered, if they ever would have been.

Zeetha accepted a fish from Oggie, who looked quite proud of himself, and allowed her gaze to return to the glow that was now Mechanicsburg. And with it her thoughts finally, without her permission, drifted to Agatha.

Her Zumil was in there, frozen apparently, and nobody had the slightest idea of what the heck caused that stupid glowing bubble. The general consensus was that it was Wulfenbach, but nobody had any actual proof of that, for all they knew it was some of those Storm king Wanna-bees or one of the other hundred or so miscellaneous Sparks that had joined the battle for no good reason. With a frown she absentmindedly chewed on her skewer.

She obviously had no idea what she was looking at, nor did the Jägers. No. Her only hope of trying to figure out if Agatha was okay, and getting her out of there, relied on the Sparks, or more likely, just Gil. If the moron hadn’t gotten himself frozen as well, for all she knew he may have, she had lost complete track of where everyone was by the end. Last she heard he had stayed behind on Castle Wulfenbach, for good and ill, but he could be a romantic fool at times, so he could have easily returned since she last heard word of him.

The skewers tip snapped in her mouth and she pulled it out with a frown. She looked at it for a second, and then then let her eyes drift back upwards, what was left of the stick twirling in her fingers.

She had to hope he wasn’t though, because without him, and Tarvek, (Who she was still trying to figure out _why_ they trusted him, granted there were times where she worried Agatha trusted Gil to much as well) who definitely had been in Mechanicsburg at the time of the bubble going up, she would have to rely on the Baron. With a snap the twig bent into nearly two. Zeetha glanced at it and with a professional flick, tossed it into the fire, where it burst up in a snap of smoke.

And that opened another can of worms, the least being the fact that he was very likely wasped.

“I think the best thing is for me to go back and try and figure out what’s going on,” Higgs said, snapping Zeetha’s attention back to the present. Zeetha blinked and considered this. It was as good as an idea as any, he was part of the Wulfenbach forces, though Zeetha doubted his loyalties to them, especially since the Jägers weren’t even blinking at the idea of him playing spy, he would be able to blend back in without too much fuss. But…

“Maybe I should go to,” She mused out loud, startling everyone, she had been mostly silent until this point. “He knows me; I might be able to get more information out of him directly then you could.” Not to mention she possibly had some leverage, though she really didn’t want to try and explain that to these four, they knew even less than Gil himself.

“I’m not sure that’s the greatest of ideas,” Higgs said after a second. “You’ been seen with Miss Agatha. Master Gil might be willing to talk, but I doubt his father will be as accommodating. Not to mention your injury—”

Zeetha’s nostrils flared. “I’m fine.”

Higgs gave her a leveling glance. “You got yourself run through.” He reminded her as if she didn’t already know.

“To be fair, vat ve got goink back in da mountain iz pretty crude,” Dimo added absentmindedly. “Da Empire vould have bedder medical care.”

Zeetha fumed, her hands clutching at her pants. She did not like being treated like a child, like she was unable to make her own decisions, incapable of deciding on her own on what she could and couldn’t do. She had dealt with that enough in the past. She wasn’t a child and she hadn’t been one for six years. Her hands shook, and frustration and rage, grief and guilt finally broke through her walls.

Higgs was talking again. “Even so—”

“I SAID I’M FINE!” Zeetha roared, jumping to her feet, causing the other four to jump. The trio, recognizing that her ire wasn’t on them, quickly backed away in case that changed. Higgs leaned back, at a complete loss and alarmed, as Zeetha loomed over him.

“I am not a child,” She started with a sneer. “This is not my first battle, this is not my first injury, nor is it my first bad one. I am capable of deciding for myself whether I’m fine or not!” With a dramatic flair, likely influenced by her years with the circus, she ripped off her bandage. Her wound was puckered and red and likely to leave a horrible scar, but neither bleeding nor looking anything like it once had. Higgs would have continued to stare at it in confusion if it wasn’t for Zeetha continuing.

“Yes I fucked up, okay!” Her hands flew up into the air, the bandage fluttering to the ground. She scowled thinking back. She had no idea what she had been doing back then, why had she looked away? Why she had been so slow to react? Her memories of it were hazy and confusing, she really didn’t know. But yes, she had fucked up, she knew she had fucked up, and she wasn’t planning on repeating it, so she would really appreciate if people would stop bringing it up. “I’m not planning on doing it _again!_ ”

She scowled. “Not that I knew she could cross that room in less than a second, or had any fighting, training, or strength behind her blows,” she continued in a low growl, her focus falling away from Higgs. That would be the last time she let Gil judge anyone without thought.

Her head jerked as she realized she was falling off topic, and once again her piercing eyes landed on Higgs who nearly flinched. “And—Yes it was stupid I was trying to impress you, not planning on trying that again either I assure you!” She continued without thought or filter, such things lost in the midst of her swirling emotions. She couldn’t believe she had let herself fall into that trap again, thank Ashtara, that Violetta’s comment had snapped her out of it before it got too bad.

She turned a bit and gripped at her hair. “I know I messed up okay, Agatha is my Zumil and I failed her twice now, don’t you DARE say different. I am her Kolee, it’s my job to protect her, not to take a stupid Castle’s word and go off and—and gal halen. Mor sot hirit not jaya—

She continued on for a moment or so before realizing she had switched languages.  For a second she paused, suddenly recognizing just how angry she had gotten, and how close to a total breakdown she was. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, turned on her heel, and ran.

Higgs stared after her in shock. At a complete lost on what to do. He had experience in a lot of things, this wasn’t one of them.

“Hmm, dat’s pretty dem fast vork for a non-Jäger,” Dimo mused out loud after Zeetha had fallen out of sight.

Oggie elbowed the stunned Higgs in the side. “She sed she vas tryink to imprez hyu,” he said with an eyebrow wiggle.

Higgs ignored him and attempted to get up, only to be stopped by Oggie’s grip on his arm.

“Nu-uh, hyu don’ vanna be anyvhere near her ‘till she calmz down sum.” He told him with a sudden seriousness. “Give her time ta yell und, hit, und smack tings dat are not hyu.”

“But—”

Maxim tilted his head. “She hazn’t gun far,” he added, before wincing as the sounds of wood on wood met his ears. “Und Oggie’s right, you dun vanna go hennyvere near her for a bit.”

Higgs sighed and rubbed at his temple. “I was just—worried… I don’t even know where that came from.”

Dimo leaned back and eyed his superior. Higgs had always been different than everybody else, but this was the first time he had ever felt older than him, which was ridiculous, Higgs had several hundred years on him. Then again, he had never once heard of Higgs having a relationship period, and it was quite obvious just how green behind the ears he was in this.

“Like hy say before, she’z a beeg gurl,” he started plainly. “But hyu been treatink her like a keed.”

“She was over confident and nearly got herself killed,” Higgs defended. “Excuse me for being slightly wary about her judgment.”

“Jah, I vos vondering about dat,” Maxin added. “Dat dozn’t sound like Miz Zeetha at all.”

“An’ hyu would know?” Higgs said with the faintest bit of sulk in his voice. The trio looked at each other and then nodded.

“Vell, jah, Ve’ve known Miz Zeetha as long as ve known de Lady, she vas der ven ve found her,” Oggie said.

“Used to meet op vith us at night to hunt monsters,” Maxim continued. “After complaink to uz dat ve vere stealink her job.”

“A goot fighter,” Dimo simply added with a nod. “fought off Da Baron for a vile, and he tuzzlez vith da Generals.”

Higgs stared at the three before sighing, rubbing his hand down his face. “Fine, fine you do know her.”

“Zo how did she getz hurt anyvay,” Dimo asked, leaning back.

“We were in the greenhouse, the one by the Seraglio of Ol’Satyricus—”

“Da von vith dat fancy plant he planted to make his vives happy,” Oggie asked a claw to his chin. “Or the von vith da fancy...” He trailed off when even he noticed Higgs freeze.

“Oh, dat makes more sense den,” Maxim nodded with a huge grin. “Dat plant really messed op pipple, it gotz Ol’Grim to sing lullibies for a vole veek. No vunder she vas fighting dumb.”

Higgs shook his head, lit his pipe, and took a deep puff. “I forgot entirely that plant was there,” he admitted. “And—”

“It deedn’t effect hyu, zo hyu deedn’t notice.” Dimo finished. Higgs didn’t bother to reply, just puffed on his pipe moodily. “Hoy, dat’s goot news, now hyu don’t hef to vorry about her az moch.” Higgs didn’t react. Dimo sighed.

“Look, Hy don’t tink she’z mad at hyu, just opset—”

Oggie snorted, Dimo kicked him.

“Hokay, she’z mad at hyu, bot I don’t tink she’z all mad at hyu.” Dimo said, scratching at his stubble. “Da Lady iz important to her. In a vay dat I don’t tink is all dat different dan she iz to us. Losink her iz hard on her, especially since she takez her safety personally. Hy don’t really knows vat Kolee or Zumil mean, bot obviously it’s more dan just friend.”

Higgs thought that over, pulling his pipe out to give it a twirl. Then he returned it and got up. This time Oggie didn’t stop him.

“Ju’s be careful ven hyu vith her,” Dimo added as Higgs made to walk away. “She’s tinks bedder dan she letz on, goot at puttink tings togeter.”

Higgs paused in his steps, and then continued.

 

It didn’t take long to find her. Once he was away from the crackling fire, he could just make out the sound of wood on wood, and following that he quickly found its source.

He didn’t fully approach her, not knowing what to say. He just watched as she shattered bark off an old tree with two thick branches that looked as if they had once been one before she had snapped them in half. Her skills as a swordmistress was notable in her actions and after a moment he picked up that her moves were well practiced, as if scripted. Her mouth moved slightly with each strike.

Even so, he could tell that she knew he was there, though she didn’t seem to care one way or another.

As he watched, Zeetha struck the tree only to shout as the branch in her hand splintered into several pieces. She backed away, not looking all there. Higgs couldn’t help but glance at the very green wood of the broken branch, as well of the damage done to the tree itself, while she collapsed at the base of another tree.

“I miss my swords,” she muttered into her knees. Her voice thick with an accent that was normally barely noticeable.

Higgs shifted, and barely refrained from scratching at his neck. He glanced away. “They are… um… they are at Mamma’s, hid them in the prop room to make sure no Jägers would attempt to snatch them up…”

Zeetha snorted. “Great deal of good they will do there,” she continued humorlessly, not looking at him. Higgs felt his stomach drop, and swallowed.

“I’m sorry… that I hid them, that was… inappropriate of me.”

“No, don’t,” Zeetha started, weakly waving a hand. “Don’t start that… I mean hiding my swords was a really shitty thing to do, but after my show in the Castle, I can’t say I necessary blame you for treating me like a child…” her tone was bitter, but also resigned in a way Higgs didn’t understand.

She also didn’t know, Higgs realized with a jolt, about the spores, or the plant. She had no idea why she had acted as she did. No wonder she was beating herself up about it.

“Actually… The boys, they rem—er I told them what happened—”

“Oh great.” Zeetha sighed, not even angry, which concerned Higgs more than anything.

“And they mentioned how in that greenhouse, there is a plant—well shortly its spores intoxicates you so,” His voice turned soft, if a little guilty. “When we ran in, you were suddenly intoxicated. Apparently, some people are just—Immune to it, so I didn’t get affected, and well…”

Zeetha snorted again, and looked up only to frown as she realized she couldn’t see the stars through the leaves. “Basically I was suddenly drunk? Oh that’s just great.” She sighed. “At least this time it wasn’t on purpose,” She muttered to herself, but Higgs still caught it.

Higgs debated with himself for a second, and then asked. “This time?”

“It’s a long story,” Zeetha brushed away with a grimace, “But really, ironic much, first showing off and now intoxication, Ashtara must be testing me in some sick way.” She let her head fall back with a clunk.

Higgs stared at her and for the first time conceptualized just how little he knew about her. The fact he cared this much anyway was almost alarming. He shifted again as the silence stretched on.

Finally Zeetha began talking, her voice was even, dry, and flat, as if reciting a history lesson back to a teacher.

“I was in a bad place when Agatha joined the circus.” She admitted slowly. “I had spent more than the last three years beforehand trying to find my way back home—and failed.”

She smiled slightly; it didn’t look right on her face. “Agatha saved me from that, she let me know that my home—my life was real, that it wasn’t some kind of sick fever dream I had dreamt up.”

Her voice began to get more heated, even as her words stayed calm. “I owe her _so_ much, so I made her my Zumil. She is my student, she is under my protection, if you follow the ancient words, she is practically my daughter, an honorary member of the War Family, my family.”

As she talked her hands clenched tighter and tighter, until finally the other branch she had been carrying splinted under her grip. She didn’t seem to notice.

“It’s my job to protect her, to keep her safe, to prepare her for the future—” She flipped herself to her feet and began pacing in what seemed like a failing attempt in corralling her emotions. She paused in front of a tree, and stared at it long enough that Higgs was worried she had somehow shut down. “And I failed,” She muttered soft enough that Higgs doubted any normal person could have heard it.

There was a hoot in the distance and something snapped inside of Zeetha. With a growing snarl she punched at the tree. “I failed! Failed! Failed! Failed!” With each word she punched the tree again. Completely uncaring about her blooded fingers, Zeetha turned on her heel. Her hands reached over her shoulders, as if expecting to find her swords, and grasped nothing but air. This only fanned the fire, and she sprinted at another tree, fists raised to attack.

Higgs snapped from his shock and tackled her to the ground, hoping to pin her and keep her from hurting herself more. Zeetha kicked out from under him expertly, easily escaping from his hold, and quite possible breaking a rib as she did so.

Higgs grunted, he hadn’t expected that, berserk or not she was still fighting intelligently. He rolled to the side to avoid another ferocious attack, and pounced up as she was catching her balance, pinning her arms to her sides and forcing her to her knees.

She fought the hold, oh she fought, and Higgs found himself needing to use far more strength than he thought he would, but eventually she began calming down, her struggling slowly weakening. In all she had only been raving for a couple of minutes, but Higgs winced as his body complained.

Then he blinked as a drop of liquid hit his arm, and he realized that the sounds he had mistaken for panting, were actually muffled sobs. His loosed his arms only slightly, and Zeetha took the chance to wiggle free and dash towards the tree. This time she didn’t attack it, just leaned against it as she tried to pull herself together.

Incredibly confused and unsure, Higgs faltered. “…Zeetha?”

“’M Sorry, ‘m sorry,” She muttered. “It’s jus’ it’s all gone. It’s all gone again…” She choked back another sob.

“All gone?”

Zeetha glanced up at him, her eyes watery and red, streaks down her cheeks. “Home,” she whispered. She looked away as her chest heaved, trying as hard as she could to force herself to stop crying.

“Zeetha…” Higgs hesitated, and then took one step forward, carefully setting his hand lightly on her shoulder. “We’re going to get them back, alright. The Smart guys will figure it out, you’ll see.”

She didn’t respond, not right away, just rubbed at her face as her breathing eased.

Then, finally, “I’m sorry,” She said calmer, looking into the distance. “I’m sorry I—for everything—”

“Don’t be doing that,” Higgs said his voice soft. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”

Zeetha was silent, long enough for Higgs to feel awkward again, and then shrugged one shoulder. “Sure,” she said in a way that made Higgs vaguely uncomfortable, before she turned a little so she could sit down at the base of the tree.

She glanced down at her hands, flexing one and wincing. “I didn’t hurt you too much, right…?” She asked, embarrassment tingeing her voice.

“Nothing… to bad,” Higgs replied, also sitting, though making sure he was some distance away. He didn’t think she would be happy to hear she hadn’t hurt him, he wasn’t so lost to not notice the leaking self-confidence she was fighting, but admitting to a broken rib seemed like a bad idea as well. The least because she was obviously a trained fighter who would know what a broken rib looked like, and he didn’t want to have to try and explain why his broken rib was gone tomorrow. There was no handy Battledraught around to use as an excuse.

Higgs brain stuttered as he realized the logic his thoughts were running on was assuming she would be seeing him shirtless tomorrow. It was alarming what she was doing to him.

“Nothing broken,” Zeetha muttered, snapping Higgs happily from a trail of thought he wasn’t sure he wanted to go down just yet. He looked over to find her picking out bits of wood from her hand which still slowly bled. “Don’t think I’m going to need stitches either, just a good cleaning and a bandage.”

“There should be a flask in one of my pockets with some water.” Higgs offered, “And a clean handkerchief.” Zeetha nodded and rummaged through his pockets with her other, less bleeding hand.

He watched her work for a little longer. “Do you need any help?” He tried, but Zeetha stubbornly shook her head and Higgs went mum, half afraid of scaring her away.

He looked away, and after a moment pulled out his pipe. Pushing his thought towards what to do when he approached the Wulfenbach’s, he smoked quietly for a good while before an awkward movement beside him jolted him from his thoughts.

Zeetha had twisted herself rather flexibly and seemed to be trying to reach the small of her back with her non-bandaged hand. She managed it, but barely, and made an unsatisfied huff through her nose.

“Actually,” She started somewhat sheepish, “I… do need your help.” She pulled at the jacket. “I managed to pull out the stitches in the front, but there was nobody around, that wouldn’t send me right back to bed, to take out the ones in the back…” She shrugged. “They’re really starting to itch and pull now, and I don’t know what exactly that draught did, but I prefer not having to deal with grown in stitches.”

Higgs stared at her for a second before he comprehended what she was asking, and then hoped that the heat he was feeling wasn’t noticeable in the dark. “Uh—sure.”

Zeetha crocked an eyebrow, looking exhausted but notably better. Her lips twitched, but she didn’t say anything, instead just handed him the pocket knife she had found rummaging In his pockets, turned, and shrugged off his jacket.

Higgs went to pull off the bandage only to be stopped as Zeetha bent around and unhooked her breastplate. His face grew even hotter. He had to remind himself that it wasn’t as if he hadn’t seen her far barer not half a day before. It didn’t help, if anything it made it worse.

Why was he so flustered? He wondered as he cut and pulled out the first stitch, hoping that the work would distract him. The injury helped some at least. It was just as pretty as the one on her front, as in not at all, but she was right, it was beyond healed enough to remove the stitches.

It was not as if he hadn’t been around topless woman before, medically and not. This was unlike him.

What was it about this girl?

He still hadn’t figured it out by the time he pulled out the last stitch.

He had less of a clue when they returned to the fire, Zeetha more animated and ready to get down to work

He just plain didn’t know when, after a lot of carful debating and planning, he left alone to head to Wulfenbach territory… but he was hoping he would have the time and experience to figure it out.

He knew this was going to hurt… but he was beginning to think that maybe it would be worth it.

**Author's Note:**

> I was hoping to capture the confusion and uncertainty Higgs is feeling, so I mentioned a lot of tiblets on Zeetha's past without actually explaining any of them. I hope that came out well. They will get touched upon eventually.
> 
> This may get re-edited and updated. Fair warning.
> 
> I don't know how long it will be until the next story, but hopefully it's soon.


End file.
